President Donald Trump has filed a petition with the US Supreme Court seeking to reverse a civil judgment requiring him to pay $5 million to writer E Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation.
The legal battle stems from a New York jury’s determination that Trump attacked Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room during the mid-1990s. The same jury concluded that Trump later defamed her by calling the incident a hoax on social media platforms. Trump maintains his innocence and disputes all accusations.
“She’s not my type,” Trump has repeatedly stated when discussing Carroll’s allegations. He has consistently maintained that her claims are fabricated lies designed to damage him politically.
Legal Team Challenges Evidence and Trial Procedures
The lawyers of Trump have repeatedly asserted that trial judge Lewis Kaplan admitted prejudicial evidence that unfairly swayed the jury against their client. These arguments were reviewed by an appellate court last year and ruled in favour of the original decision, which they found did not contain any judicial errors that would be material enough to send the matter back to trial.
The Supreme Court filing is the last resort where Trump can appeal the unanimous jury ruling. Court watchers are left in doubt on whether the justices would be willing to pursue the issue. A federal appeals panel already turned down the request of Trump in June earlier this year.
In their petition, Trump’s lawyers pointed out what they consider the weak points of the case presented by Carroll. According to his attorneys, there was no eyewitness, no video footage, no police report or investigation, as they filed in the Supreme Court.
“Instead, Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, whom she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th president, when she could maximise political injury to him and profit for herself.”
His public remarks following the initial verdict triggered additional legal consequences. Another jury determined those statements constituted fresh defamation and ordered Trump to pay Carroll an extra $83 million. Federal judges turned down his challenge to that second judgment in September.
Carroll’s Legal Victory Stands Despite Appeals
Roberta Kaplan, who represents Carroll, refused to make any statement on the issue when contacted to respond to the filing by the Supreme Court.
Carroll was a former magazine columnist who filed her suit. She is now 81 years old. The defamation action was particularly in regard to the post made by Trump on Truth Social in 2022 when he denied her narrative of the incident. In the same post, Trump labelled her account as pure fabrication and implied that she was making up the assault to get a monetary and political benefit.
The findings of the jury were that there was liability to sexual abuse and defamation but they did not go further and determine that rape took place under the New York definition of criminal law. This difference would later be significant in the legal proceedings regarding the seriousness of the actions Trump took.
Carroll and his team of lawyers have been on the defensive to prove that all the proceedings of the trial were as they should have been. They are keeping the evidence presented to jurors, such as the comments made by Trump regarding his behaviour with women, recorded, as the ultimate concern in the question of whether the story of Carroll appeared to be believable.
“This is a politically motivated witch hunt,” Trump has said about the case on multiple occasions. He views the proceedings as part of broader efforts by his opponents to undermine his presidency and political standing.
The combined financial exposure from both verdicts totals $88 million if Trump exhausts all appeals unsuccessfully. His attorneys continue pursuing every available legal strategy to minimise or eliminate these monetary obligations. The Supreme Court’s decision on whether to hear the case could come within the next few months.
